As the cable television digitisation process gains pace, TV viewers may soon enjoy the option to switch between different direct-to-home (DTH) operators.
And by June, Hong Kong-headquartered SMIT Corporation plans to launch the device, allowing portability between service providers, here in India.
According to Himanshu Sharma, Country Manager, India, SMIT Corporation, the card-like device, called conditional access module (CAM), can be inserted in the box.
“The CAM device facilitates inter-operability and we will be launching it in India in June,” Sharma said.
According to market sources, such a phenomenon may create more competition among DTH players.
SMIT is in talks with TRAI and other regulatory authorities as well as a couple of DTH operators for introducing the device here.
Interestingly, the concept is not new to India. Dish TV, in its early days, had introduced a similar offering but it failed to light up the DTH market.
The company, Sharma said, is planning to introduce a chip (a pen-drive type device) that allows TV sets to operate without set-top boxes. TVs, however, need to be compatible by having a digital tuner installed in it.
The company is already in talks with two major TV manufacturers for introduction of digital TVs.
This concept (of reducing dependence on set-top boxes) too is not new. Dhoot-promoted Videocon had introduced the idea of TVs without set-top boxes. The idea, however, failed to garner interest.
Anjali M Nanda, Executive Vice-President, Marketing, Dish TV, said such device could hardly capture the Indian market as availability of TV sets with digital tuner is minuscule here.